Members of a football team based at a city club for more than 10 years are fighting to keep the popular venue open.

AC Whitley is just one of the many teams, including darts, dominoes and snooker, based at the Whitley Private Members' Club, Avenue, Whitley.

The club is due to close at the end of May and local residents say it will mean there is nowhere left for people in the area to use.

A petition with more than 1,100 signatures has been gathered to keep the club open.

Mark Broomfield, captain of AC Whitley and a civil engineer, said: "There is nowhere else for us to go.

"Many people have celebrated birthdays, weddings and anniversaries at the club - it is a real part of the

Team member Colin Griffiths, 41, a builder, from Willenhall, who has used the club for over 10 years, said: "I started coming here when my daughter was only three years' old as there was a kids' play room.

"She still comes here now as there is a pool table and karaoke, a bit like a youth club. The club is more like a community centre.

"There will be nowhere to bring kids when this goes - community." it's the only place around here we can take them. I've no idea where I'll take my daughter. It'll be hard to find anywhere else."

Lindsey Bailey, 47, a member of Whitley Residents' Association, said it had looked at other possible options for the community but had drawn a blank.

"All we ask is that the council does not change the club's planning consent from leisure to residential as there is nowhere else for people to go around here.

"The petition shows it is highly valued in the community and used by lots of different groups."

Father-of-three Mr Bailey, a civil engineer, said: "If the club closes as expected at the end of May, what will be left for local people?"

Campaigners say the owner of the club has every right to sell, but asked that any potential buyers be made aware of the need for a community venue.